Plows for garbage trucks



Dec. 23,1958 E. T. N'Ewl-:LL 2,865,286

FLOWS FOR GARBAGE TRUCKS Filed Dec. 31, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 23,1958 E. T. NEWELL 2,365,286

FLOWS FOR GARBAGE TRUCKS Filed Dec. 31. 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 HEM- PLOWSFOR GARBAGE TRUCKS Edward T. Newell, Portland, Oreg.

Application December 31, 1953, Serial No. 401,621

2 Claims. (Cl. 100-295) This invention relates to refuse truck bodiesand more particularly to packing devices for such bodies.

The usual refuse or garbage truck body is adapted to be loaded at oneend and discharged at the other end with gate or door means closing thedischarge end or opening, and is provided with a plow or dozerreciprocally movable longitudinally of the body with means for movingthe plow to move refuse dumped into the body toward the discharge end oropening and pack the refuse in the body as well as to discharge therefuse through the discharge opening. A structure of this type is shownin my Patent No. 2,541,538. A truck body of this type, especially ifemployed in garbage collection, now usually comprises a closed body ofgenerally tubular configuration including a fioor and side and top wallsand having access opening means at one end, usually the front end, forthe admissio-n of refuse into the body and a discharge opening, normallythe rear end of the body, closed by door means.

The plow or dozer, as shown in the aforementioned patent, usuallycomprises a generally flat, substantially vertically disposed memberextending transversely of the truck body and, if the body is closed,substantially conforming to the configuration of the body. This plow isusually provided at its lower portion with a toe inclined downwardly andtoward the discharge end or opening to force the loose refuse materialupwardly so as to ll the upper part of the body. It has been found,however, that when the plow is retracted for the admission of additionalrefuse, the toe portion leaves a cavity under the packed material and,as a result, a considerable portion of the previously packed materialfalls to the bottom or floor of the truck body.

Having in mind thedefects of the prior art devices, it is the primaryobject of the present invention to provide means for packing loosematerial such as refuse so that the material remains substantially inits packed condition when the packing means is withdrawn from thecompressed material.

lt is another object of the invention to provide means for packing loosematerial, such as refuse, substantially the full height of a body orcontainer.

lt is still another object of the invention to provide means for packingloose material, such as refuse, by applying pressure thereto in agenerally vertical plane and substantially the full height of a body orcontainer.

The novel features that are considered characteristic of the inventionare set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The inventionitself, however, both as to its organization and its method ofoperation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, willbest be understood from the following description of a specificembodiment when read in connection with the accompanying drawingswherein like reference characters indicate like parts through theseveral figures and in which:

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional View taken' on line 1--1 of Fig. 4transversely of a closed refuse truck body and shownited States Patentand a top wall 5l.

ice

ing a packing device or plow in accordance with the present inventionparts being broken away for clarity;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken transversely throughthe' truck body on line 2-2 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on line 3-3of Fig. 4;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on a vertical planelongitudinally through a truck body on line 4--4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional View similar to that of Fig. 4but showing only the lower portion of the packing means or plow with thenormally inclined toe portion in collapsed or retracted position;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on line 6-6of Fig. 5, and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view, partially in cross-section, asseen from the viewing line 7--7 of Fig. 4, of the toe-bracing mechanism.

Referring now to the drawings, specifically to Figs. 1 and 4, thepresent invention relates to a packing means constituted by a plow ordozer 2 of the type shown in my Patent No. 2,541,538. In the presen'tinstance, this plow is shown in conjunction with the usual closed refuseor garbage collection truck body 1 which is of generally tubularconfiguration and includes a floor 14, side walls 50 Normally, such abody 1 is provided at one end, usually the forward end, to the left ofFig. 4, with access opening means of any conventional form for theadmission of refuse into the body 1, and a discharge opening at theother end 53, usually the rear end of the body l, which is closed duringthe collecting operation but may be opened for discharge of thecollected material.

The packing means or plow 2 extends across the'body 1 and isreciprocally movable in the body 1 so that it can be retracted beyondthe receiving or access opening of the body l to enable loose materialor refuse to be load ed thereinto whereupon, the plow 2 is advanced ormoved toward the discharge end 53 of the body l, that is, in thedirection of the arrow 39 in Fig. 4, to compress the loose material intoa compact mass 38. The plow 2 may be reciprocally moved in any desiredmanner but, as disclosed in the aforementioned patent, the preferredmoving means is co-nstituted by endless chains 3 running in channels orguideways 4 extending longitudinally of the walls of the body l andhaving slots 6 in their inner sides to accommodate arms 5 fixed with theplow 2 and connected to the chains 3, as best shown' in Figs. 1-3.

The plow 2, as shown in the aforementioned patent, preferably isdisposed in a substantially vertical plane transversely of the body land at its lower portion is provided with a toe portion 3 which isinclined from its working face 12 downwardly to the body floor 14 andtoward the discharge end of the body 1. In operation, the in' clined toeportion 8 forces the loose material upwardly from the door 14 so as topack the material or refuse in the upper portion 4d of the body l andprevent an ac cumulation of the material only in the lower portionthereof. However, when the toe portion 8 is in xed relation to the plow2., it forms a cavity or undercut por tion 41 undermining the packedmaterial 3B so that when the plow Z is retracted to receive additionalmaterial, a portion of the packed material falls from the upper portionof the body 1 to the floor H4.

As the inclined toe portion 8 is necessary to force the materialupwardly so as to iill the upper portions of the body l, this toeportion 8, in accordance with the present invention, is constituted by`a separate plate which is movably supported by the plow 2 and normallyretained in an inclined position, as shown in Fig. 4, but is alsocapable of being collapsed, byreaction of the compressed material 38,into a position generally parallel 3 to and substantially contiguouswith the working face l2 of the plow 2, as shown in Fig. 5, so that thecompressed material 33 is compacted in a generally vertical plane andany cavity under such material is eliminated. Consequently, when theplow .2 is withdrawn or retracted from the compacted or compressedmaterial 3E, the latter tends to stay in a compressed mass and does notfall down to any great degree.

The toe plate 8 is movably supported by the plow 2 and according to apreferred embodiment of invention, the plow 2 is provided with a cutout9 r 1 g '.g the bottom of the plow to accommodate the toe platesupporting means. The toe plate 8 has an upper edge lit which ismaintained in engagement with the working surface l2 of the plow 2 and alower edge i3 whichl gages, at all times, the floor 14 of the body l.out or opening 9 is defined at the top by an edge LA the upper edge lllof the toe plate o in inclined position and at the ends the open boundedby edges 9B which are spaced inwardly ithe side edges of the plow 2 andthe area of the between its side edges and the respective edges stituteleg portions integral with the plow 2 and tending to the floor 14 of thebody ll, as best shown .in Fig. l.

One or more, preferably a pair, of vertically disposed legs l are xed tothe lower back portion t6 of the plow 2 above the opening 9, these legsll5 extending down a'- most to the floor i4 and substantially spanningthe opening 9. Adjacent their lower ends, the legs l5 carry axiallyaligned bearings itl within which is journaled a substantiallyhorizontally disposed shaft i7 having one or more arms 19 fixedtherewith. Preferably, there are a pair of arms i9 which are in parallelrelation at their free ends, these arms are each connected by a pivot 2lwith a link Ztl which is, in turn, connected by pivot means 22 with therear of the tee plate tl, preferably near the lower edge i3 thereof.

Each associated arm i9 and link 2l) forms a collapc'cle brace that isspring biased in one direction, as by a spring 25 coiled about the pivot2l and having its ends 26 and 27 anchored to the link 2t) and arm 19,respectively, as shown in Fig. 7, to force the lower edge ll3 of the toeplate tl away from the lower end of the plow 2. Each brace is limited inits spring biased movement by vmutually engagcable abutments or stops 28and 28 carried by the arm lll? and link Ztl, respectively, adliacent thepivot 2lv to retain the brace in an extended position and prevent thepivotal connection 2l thereof from passing into or beyond center, asshown in Fig. 4. lt will be noted that the abutments 28, 23 limit thebrace to an angular relation and preclude the arm i9 and link Ztl fromassuming alignment which might inhibit or preclude collapsing of 'thebrace.

Means are provided for retaining the upper edge lll of the toe plate 8in engagement with the Working face l2 of the plow 2 regardless of therelative position and angle of the plate 3 to the plow 2. This means isshown as including one or more, preferably a pair, cables 29 having oneend 30 connected to the back of the plate 8 adjacent its upper edge 1land the other end 3l connected to one end of a spring 32 having itsother end 3d anchored to the back of the plow. Preferably, each cable 29is trained over a pulley 3S journaled on one of the legs 15 so that thepull of the cable on the plate 8 will be in a more or less horizontaldirection.

The toe plate S is provided on its working face with verticallyextending reinforcing ribs 24 and across its back with horizontallyextending bars 23 and 23. Similarly, the plow 2 is provided on its backwith horizontal bars 33 and 33. The cables 29 have their ends 30connected with the upper cross-bar 23 on the plate 8 While the upperends 34 of the springs 32 are anchored to the upper -bar 33 on the plow2, and the lower crossbar 33 provides upper attachment points for thelegs l5. The width of the toe plate S is preferably substantiallyidentical with that Iof the opening 9 in the plow 2, and the cross-bars23, 23 are of a width or depth to abut the legs l5 when the plate 8 iscollapsed or retracted so as to retain the plate substantiallycontiguous with the working surface l2 of the plow 2 and prevent itspassing into or through the opening 9, as shown in Fig. 5. In addition,the upper bar 23 is positioned so that it is closely juxtapositic-ned tothe edge 9A when the toe plate El .is vfolded or swung to its verticalcollapsed position and thereby prevents the plate from slipping upwardlywhich would enable material to be squeezed under the lower edge i.3.

It' the width of the toe plate coincided with that of the plow 2, itwould be necessary to recess its edges to odate the channels orguideways Il and enable the a tlar movement of the plate. As suchrecesses would permit the passage of material or refuse behind 'he plateand between the plate and plow legs lll, it is preferred that the widthof the toe plate il be less than that of the plow and coincide with thatof the opening To prevent passage of material around the ends cf theplate 8 and through the opening E3, the plate 8 is provided with endshields 36 along its end edges and extending from the back thereof intelescopic relation with the inner edges 9B ofthe legs lil. As theshields 36 must terminate short of the full height of the plate 8 to beaccommodated by the opening 9, cooperative triangular shields 37 are xedon the Working face 12 adjacent each edge 9B and extending slightlyabove the edge 9A. as shown in Figs. l and 4 6. The lower edges of theshields 37 overlap the upper edges of the adjacent shields 36, as shownin Fig. 5.

ln operation, when the plow 2 is retracted to that material can beloaded into the bodv l in front of the working face of the plow, thesprings 2S spread the braces @-29 to push the lower edge ll3 of the toeplate 8 forwardly of the plow, while the springs 32 and cables 29 biasthe upper edge ll of the toe plate tl against the working face l2 of theplow so that the toe plate 3 assumes the inclined position shown in Fig.4. It will be understood that the springs 25 bias the relatively-opposite ends of the arms i9 and links 2l) apart and tend to swing therespective arms 19 and links 2@ into alignment. Before the respectivearms 19 and links Ztl can reach alignment, however, their respectivestops 23, 28 come into abutment to retain them in slight angularrelation.

After a certain amount of material is loaded into the body ll, the plow2 is then advanced toward the discharge end 53 in the direction of thearrow 39 in Fig. 4, and the inclined toe portion scoops or cams thematerial upwardly from the body floor lli to the upper portion titl ofthe bcdy until the newly packed material becomes a parli of the mass ofpacked or compressed material tl. Upon engagement with the mass 3S, thereactive pressure on the toe plate 8 overcomes the bias of the springs2S sufcientlv to collapse the braces l9-2tl, that is, cause therespective arms 19 and links 2l) to swing toward each other about theirmutual pivots 2l in opposition to the springs 25, and permit the toeplate S to swing from its inclined position, Fig. 4, back toward andinto contiguous relation with the plow 2, Fig. 5.

As the toe plate 8 is forced back, a part of the material of the mass 38is squeezed downwardly in front of the toe plate to fill the under-cutor cavity All, Fig. 4, while retaining the material packed at the upperportions 40. When the toe plate 8 is fully collapsed, the pressure faceof the mass 38 extends substantially vertically and is packed from thefloor 14 upwardly the full height thereof. Consequently, upon retractionof the plow 2 from the mass 38, there is very little tendency of thematerial to fall from the mass. As the plow 2 is retracted, the springs25 again bias the arms 19 and their respective links 2.0 apart to swingthe bottom 13 of the toe plate 8 away from the plo-w 2 and position theplate in its inclined position.

Although a certain specific embodiment of the invention has been shownand described, it is obvious that many modifications thereof arepossible. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted exceptinsofar as is necessitated by the prio-r art and by the spirit of theappended claims.

l claim:

1. A packing device for refuse truck bodies adored to receive looserefuse material to be packed at one end thereof, said packing devicecomprising a plow in a substantially upright position transversely ofthe body and reciprocally movable in the body longitudinally thereof,said plow including a substantially flat main portion having a pressureface and a substantially iiat toe portion across the lower part of saidmain portion on the pressure side thereof, said toe portion having alower edge engageable with the iioor of the body and said toe portionnormally being inclined downwardly and forwardly of said main portion toforce some of the loose material upwardly when the plow is moved towardthe packing position, and collapsible means connecting said toe portionto said main portion and including spring biased mechanism normallymaintaining. said toe portion in its inclined relation with the upperedge portion of said toe portion engaging said main portion and thelower edge portion of said toe portion engaging the body oor, saidcollapsible means including an arm pivotally connected at one end tosaid main portion and pivotally connected at its other end to a linkwith the other end of the link pivotally connected to the lower part ofsaid toe portion, stop means on said link and arm to prevent the arm andlink from assuming a straight line or dead center position, a springurging the arm and link toward a straight line position, and springmeans connected between the upper part of said toe portion and said mainportion and biasing the upper edge portion of said toe portion intoengagement with said main portion while permitting vertical and angularmovement therebetween. 2. A packing device as dened in claim lcomprising end plates attached to the sides of said toe portion andshields attached to said main portion in contact with said end plates toprevent refuse from getting between 'the toe portion and main portionand behind the plow.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS200,131 Cousland Feb. 12, 1878 872,850 Rowekamp Dec. 3, 1907 2,055,291Henry Sept. 22, 1936 2,298,747 Agar Oct. 13, i942 2,387,535 Sewell 0er.23, 1945 2,541,538 Newell Feb. 13, 1951 2,693,890 Bridge Nov. 9, 1954

